What term describes a civil wrong or wrongful act that includes negligence and intentional wrongs leading to harm?

The term that describes a civil wrong or wrongful act, encompassing both negligence and intentional wrongs that lead to injury or harm, is referred to as a tort. Torts can arise from a variety of circumstances, including personal injury claims, defamation, nuisance, and more. They fundamentally involve a breach of duty that causes harm to another party, either through negligent conduct (failing to act with reasonable care) or through purposeful actions that cause harm.

Understanding torts is critical, as they typically focus on compensating the victim for damages and are a key part of civil law, distinguishing them from criminal law, which involves offenses against the state or society. This contrasts with terms like felony and misdemeanor, which relate to serious and lesser crimes against the law, respectively, and liability, which refers to the legal responsibility for one's actions but does not specifically denote the wrongful act itself.